GNWT says city is not in danger from fires
Plummers Lodge on East Arm saved as new fires crop up closer to Yellowknife
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, July 16, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The worst forest fire season in the NWT in more than 30 years continues to wreak havoc on the only highway connecting Yellowknife to the south.
Dense smoke and flames surround Plummers Great Slave Lake Lodge on the weekend. A controlled burn and wind Sunday helped turn the fire back on itself, saving the lodge. - photo courtesy of Department of Environment and Natural Resources |
Highway 3 was closed at the Sandpits on the outskirts of the city late Monday night when a new fire started approximately eight kilometres from the highway and 50 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife.
"The fire was direct attacked and is under control," stated Ella Stinson, spokesperson for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR), in an e-mail response to Yellowknifer.
"There is no threat to Yellowknife from any wildfires and there is no discussion of an evacuation."
The closest fire to the city is about 36 km away, said Stinson. That fire was not being attacked at press time because it is not near the highway or threatening any areas of value.
The City of Yellowknife issued a statement yesterday, assuring the public that there is an emergency plan in place, which would be activated if necessary, but gave few details on the plan itself. Partner agencies from the GNWT and RCMP would assist "to develop the safest and most effective solution," read the statement.
"The city will also communicate information through any media at our disposal (social, radio or door-to-door)."
The highway was opened to Behchoko mid-morning yesterday. However, the section of Highway 3 from Behchoko to Fort Providence remained closed as of press time because of smoke caused by a complex of fires near Birch Creek.
Department of Transportation (DOT) spokesman Michael Conway said a 10-metre-long wall of fire crossed the highway between Behchoko and Fort Providence Monday night and melted a patch of chipseal in its path.
"That section was repaired by road crews early Tuesday morning, but we lost several signs and markers on the highway that will now have to be replaced," said Conway.
Conway said convoys of transport trucks were being led by a DOT vehicle through the smoke zone sporadically.
Northwestel issued a news release Tuesday afternoon, advising customers Internet and cellphone services could be impacted by the Birch Creek fires affecting an 80 km stretch of fibreoptic cable.
"Network crews have prepared redundancy plans to reduce the impact of any cut related to the fire," stated the advisory.
Meanwhile, the owners of Plummers Great Slave Lake Lodge at Taltheilei Narrows on the East Arm are now breathing a huge sigh of relief.
"On Sunday, we thought we might lose the whole compound," said Chummy Plummer, long-time company president.
"The fire had reached our airstrip and was bearing down on the lodge and our guest cabins which are out on a point.
"It was burning less than a kilometre from the camp and it seemed like it had nowhere else to go but the lodge."
In the end, 20 firefighters, with the help of two water bombers and three helicopters, were able to perform a controlled back burn which ultimately saved the lodge.
"The wind directions helped, and the firefighters from the NWT and Alaska did a great job," said Plummer.
"The back burn essentially removed any more fuel for the fire to feed on. With the wind, it then began to burn away from the lodge."
As of Tuesday morning, only four firefighters remained at the lodge keeping an eye out for hotspots.
Plummer said 30 people, 20 guests and 10 lodge staff had to be flown out Saturday morning when the decision was made to evacuate the camp.
"Our guests who were to be coming to Great Slave Lake are now being taken to one of our lodges on Great Bear Lake," said Plummer.
"Not one of them has been inconvenienced and none has complained. They understand the danger and they're happy as long as they are catching fish."
"We won't send them back to Great Slave until the fire threat is gone and the smoke has lifted, however long that takes.
"It's a great relief to me to not have the lodge go up in flames. It's been a huge part of my life since the mid-1950s," he said. "There was no damage to any of the buildings whatsoever."
The fire season is also having a dramatic effect on campers and tourists.
Reid Lake Territorial Park and Campground remained closed to campers and visitors at press time due to what the Department of Industry Tourism and Investment is calling "extreme fire conditions" in the area.
The park, about 60 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife on the Ingraham Trail, was closed last Friday.
It is now being used as a base for firefighters battling a blaze that was approximately 370 square kilometres in size, making it larger than the American city of Philadelphia.
As of Monday afternoon, the fire was about 13 kilometres from the park.
"Most of the tents and trailers and camping gear in the park have been removed," said Kris Johnson, spokesperson for the Department of Industry Tourism and Investment.
"Most of the 73 campsites in the park were empty as people hadn't yet shown up for the weekend when the evacuation order went out," she said.
"There are still two trailers in the campground, but almost everyone else has removed their camping gear or simply hadn't yet arrived there."
Johnson said parks staff quickly called everyone who had reservations last Friday and told them the park was being closed.
The Northwest Territories Parks website stated everyone who has a confirmed reservation at a point during the duration of the closure will be offered a refund.
Johnson said the popular campsite was booked full for last weekend and hopes to have the park reopened as soon as possible.
But camper safety obviously comes first, said Johnson, and there are also millions of dollars of infrastructure at the park.
Johnson said about 30 of the campsites were occupied by seasonal site holders who have been using the campground since mid-May.
She said she estimates only two or three campsites were actually occupied when the evacuation was ordered.
When the park does reopen a fire ban will remain in effect, said Johnson.
"It is extremely dry out there and we're telling campers not to light fires, even for cooking," she said.
"The firefighters who are there are not using fires. They've hired a contractor to come in and cook meals for them."
When campers do return, they will likely be told to be ready to leave on short notice because of the unpredictability of the fire in the area as well as the weather, particularly the wind, said Johnson.
All other campgrounds and day-use areas in the North Slave region remain open to the public.
Meanwhile, staff from ENR are continuing to assess and plan operations for the fire near Reid Lake.
It is expected crews will prepare for a potential burnout operation.
Conditions over the next few days will determine when that can happen.
Officials say the operation is intended to keep the fire from advancing south and west toward the Ingraham Trail and other areas of value at risk.
Stinson said there were 43 firefighters stationed at the park to help fight the fire as of Monday. Four of them are from the NWT.
A 20-person crew from B.C. was to be replaced by a similar-sized team from Ontario on Tuesday.
The rest of the firefighters staying in the park are from Alaska.
Stinson said it's difficult to know how long crews will be working out of the campground.
She said it will depend on a number of factors, including wind conditions, weather and the success of the burnout operation.
The Ingraham Trail is open, but officials said that could change on short notice.
ENR is reminding the public to use caution, to only use fire for warmth or cooking and to respect all fire bans.
- with files from Laura Busch
